General position summary

Country Programme:    Turkey & Northwest Syria

Base:                              Turkey, Gaziantep with travel inside North-West Syria
Line management:        Programmes Director
Starting date:                April 2023 – ASAP

Duration:                       12 months with possible extension

About the mission

PIN has been working in Turkey & Northwest Syria since 2012, providing emergency relief and early recovery support to conflict-affected communities and IDPs. PIN’s contribution to the overall Syria humanitarian response is amongst the largest, with an annual turnover of over $55 million. The major donors are: ECHO, BHA, ENI and SDC. In NW Syria the annual turnover is $40 million with offices in Gaziantep and 3 offices inside Syria and over 560 staff.

Aftermath the devastating earthquakes that struck Türkiye and Syria on 6 February 2023, PIN has initiated immediate response to the crisis in Türkiye and northwest Syria. The programme includes provision of hot food, shelter and hygiene support to families who were left without safe shelter and personal possessions. In addition to in-kind services, PIN launches psychosocial support programme focusing on Türkiye and northwest Syria. 

PIN is looking for PSS Specialist who will help the team launch psychosocial support programme for the survivors of the earthquake in Turkey and northwest Syria, ensure its quality and smooth implementation.

The PSS Specialist would ideally spend initial 1-3 month in Turkey, but then could also work remotely on quality control, providing backstopping and strategic direction to the programme team.

Responsibilities

• Identify priority needs for mental health and psychosocial support in PIN programmatic areas Turkey and North-west Syria (NWS).
• Assess current MHPSS efforts for protection and health, identify context-specific gaps, duplications, and challenges.
• Support the team in the analysis of mental health data collected at targeted health facilities, shelters, IDP camps, and communities.
• Lead recruitment of psychologists and PSS programme staff.
• Train staff in community-based protection and psychosocial support approaches and interventions such as psychological first aid (PFA).
• Conduct field visits to monitor and support MHPSS activities and interventions and support technical quality of programming by providing feedback and mentorship.
• Provide guidance and support to field programmes in Turkey and NWS that will result in the development and implementation of high-quality MHPSS programme.
• Design the MHPSS programme strategy for Turkey and NWS based on context, identifying the best approach to be used for addressing PSS issues of the community and developing the training and tools required to implement the strategy.
• Develop tools to support the monitoring and supervision of PSS staff and psychologists and ensure proper technical standards are followed in PSS service delivery.
• Lead the development of quality control measures (e.g. on-the-job supervision checklists, impact measurement tools) for community-based PSS activities.
• Support the development of referral pathways to strengthen links in available services for PSS.
• Support with team building, performance reviews, and professional development of staff.

Qualifications

• Psychiatrist or psychologist with a minimum of 4 years of experience working on MHPSS programs in humanitarian settings.
• Expert knowledge of the IASC MHPSS guidelines in emergency settings.
• Capacity building/curriculum development experience in community-based PSS programming.
• Experience in setting up MHPSS programs in rapid onset disaster/natural disaster settings. Experience in post-earthquake contexts is an advantage.
• Excellent English. Fluency in Turkish and/or Arabic is an advantage.
• Training, and supervision experience required.
• Strong organizational and supervisory skills and interpersonal skills with the ability to work within different cultural environment.
• Ability to work within a team. Flexible and can cope in stressful environments with limited resources.

Kindly note that:

• Females candidates are encouraged to apply for this position.
• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted with.